Register Now!

Stitchin' Mission at Lutheran Church of Hope, West Des Moines, begins in less than two weeks! There's plenty of room for you and your friends to join. And best of all, for those of you with small children, childcare is available!

Quilts will go to the Del Cramer Children's Campus in South Africa. This facility is part of Blessman Ministries, developed by Dr. Blessman of Urbandale, Iowa. Each day, this ministry feeds 1,000 children, many of whom are HIV-positive or living with AIDS. Dr. Blessman will speak to Stitchin' Mission participants at the first class.

Stitchin’ Mission is for everyone: adults and teens. For more information and to register visit www.StitchinMission.org or phone 515-222-1520.

Five free Stitchin' Mission, beginner quiltmaking lessons are:

Monday, January 3, 6:30 p.m.

Monday, January 10, 6:30 p.m.

Monday, January 17, 6:30 p.m.

Monday, January 24, 6:30 p.m.

Monday, January 31, 6:30 p.m.

Register Now!

Quilts Donated

Susan Strock and Anita Heilman, co-coordinators of the October/November Stitchin' Mission at Sheridan Park United Methodist Church collected and delivered 42 quilts to Broadlawns Family Birthing Center, Des Moines, Iowa.

Susan Strock and Stitchin' Mission quilts

Susan and a Broadlawns Family Birthing Center staff member

Thank yous to everyone who joined in making so many quilts! You are a blessing.

Grant Update

For those of you interested... I have received the Dream Big Grow Here grant check, and am now busily talking with various video production freelancers and businesses to choose the best option for making a Stitchin' Mission video.

The best use of time and money will be to videotape all five lessons in one day. That means gathering a dozen or so people as "students," five changes of clothes for me, and lots of sewing to show "one" quilt in various stages of completion. I anticipate that one quilt will eventually produce about six identical quilts!

It's all a little daunting at the moment, but my hope is that in the next few weeks I'll be able to make a decision about who will film, edit and produce this video. Videotaping will likely be toward the end of January, 2011. It's also my hope that the video and a printable coordinator's guide can be sold as a download through the Stitchin' Mission website.

I'll keep you posted!

Dream Big Grow Here Award Presentation

Another Stitchin' Mission Scheduled

Stitchin' Mission #24 has been scheduled at Lutheran Church of Hope, 925 Jordan Creek Parkway, West Des Moines, Iowa. Please join us!

Get more Stitchin' Mission information, and register here. Note that childcare is available.

Another Fine Finish!

On Monday evening (Nov. 1), another highly successful Stitchin' Mission concluded at Sheridan Park United Methodist Church on Des Moines' east side. Twenty people, including a father/daughter team, participated in lessons. The quilt count stood at 35 on Monday evening, but with a turn-in date of Sunday, Nov. 14, it's expected that the finally quilt tally will be nearly 40. What a wonderful show of support for babies born at Broadlawns Family Birthing Center!

And, what a beautiful display of quilts we'll see at the church from Nov. 20-30! I hope everyone in the Des Moines area can stop by for a look.

Our last lesson included lots of stories and laughter. Everyone's enthused about participating in another Stitchin' Mission.

Here are some of our quilters with their quilts. Unfortunately, several quilters were unable to make it to the last lessons. 

These three ladies are all related to one another, and even work at the same place!

Marilyn, Hollee, Joan

Karen, Phyllis, Sharon

Mary Kay, Beth, Ranae

These are some of the wonderfully helpful, and generous-with-their-time Rebekahs.

Norma, Angie, Michelle

Deb

Co-coordinator, Anita

Thank you all for making Stitchin' Mission so much fun! It's a double blessing that it blesses not only us who make quilts, but also the recipients. We are most definitely better togther!

Me - Linda

A Fine Finish!

Stitchin' Mission #23 concluded Tuesday evening at Martensdale Community Church. What a wonderful group of participants! Look at all those bright quilts and even more bright, smiling faces.

The quilt count isn't yet final since a few remain to be finished, but it looks as though approximately 35 quilts will be divided between children in LaMesa, Mexico, and Ruth Harbor, a Des Moines home for unwed mothers. Gorgeous!

These two Stitchin' Mission co-coordinators did an excellent job of planning and welcoming everyone to their church. Thank you both!

Linda B.

Renee S.

Nor would Stitchin' Mission be successful without the talented guidance offered by these dedicated Rebekahs. And they made quilts too! Wonderful!

Deb D.

Michelle T.

Norma H.

John 17:21 says, "(Jesus speaking) I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one - as you are in me, Father, and I am in you." (NLT)

In every Stitchin' Mission, women and men, from a variety of beliefs and various denominations meet weekly, and together become the one that Jesus prays we will be. 

My prayer is that Stitchin' Mission will continual to be an occasion to join in community, regardless of our denominations, and be our opportunity to work together in service. In doing so, Jesus' prayer is answered.

Amen.

Third Class - UNsewing!?

I don't have any photos to share from last week's two Stitchin' Missions, except for this one taken by Susan, the coordinator at Sheridan Park United Methodist Church.

One of our quilters discovered she'd loaded her sewing machine bobbin backward, so the piecing stitches pulled out like basting. Several people offered to help with unsewing, so the quilt top could be resewn more securely.

Without pointing out the "victim" of the sewing machine mistake, here we are, left to right:

Abigail, Michelle, Linda (me), and Merri Jo.

Thanks quilters for helping one another. We're so much better together!

Stitchin' Mission Rotary Cutting Lesson

With two Stitchin' Missions happening simultaneously, we've got plenty of photo opportunities. More people than time to snap photos!

Everyone, in both classes, learned rotary cutting during the second lesson. The following are photos of students and Rebekahs (helpers) at Sheridan Park United Methodist Church, on the east side of Des Moines.

L-R: Joan, Hollee and Marilyn

Maddie and Jerry, a father-daughter team! 

Phyllis

Mary Kay, and "Rebekah" Norma

Merri Jo

"Rebekah" Michelle, and Pat

 And at Stitchin' Mission #23 at Martensdale Community Church...

L-R: Beth, and SM#23 Co-Coordinator Linda Brewer

L-R: "Rebekah" Deb, and Susan

L-R: Emma, "Rebekah" Deb, and Holly

Two Stitchin' Missions Off to a Flying Start

Monday night saw the start of Stitchin' Mission #22 at Sheridan Park United Methodist Church with 16 newbies in attendance. Coordinator Susan, was able to get Wal-Mart to donate a $50 gift card toward fabric purchases, and here she is making her selections.

 Also at SM#22, Angie, a first-time Rebekah, checks out the donated fabrics.

 Tuesday evening, Stitchin' Mission #23 began at Martensdale Community Church with 23 newbies. 

 

Going beyond the usual, co-coordinators Linda and Renee measured, labeled and organized all the donated fabric pieces.

 It looks very appealing, doesn't it?

 These new quilters thought so too!

Newbies, have fun finalizing your fabric selections this week!

Dream Big Grow Here Update

I will be making a short video too that I anticipate will also be put on the Dream Big Grow Here website. The $1,000 check-processing is in the works as I am trying to make plans for a January, 2011 Stitchin' Mission that will be videotaped. I'll keep you posted!

In the meantime, two Stitchin' Mission beginner quiltmaking series start later this month. Please invite your friends to give quiltmaking a try. What better opportunity can anyone have than to learn how to make a quilt for free!?

Click here to read more about the Stitchin' Mission series on Des Moines' east side.

Click here to read more about the Stitchin' Mission series in Martensdale, Iowa.

Quilts made in these Stitchin' Missions will benefit:

• Broadlawns Family Birthing Center, Des Moines
• Mission La Mesa, Mexico
• Ruth Harbor, Des Moines.

Thank you all for your support!

Linda

Stitchin' Mission Wins!

Thank you!

Voting for Stitchin' Mission to win the $1,000 Dream Big, Grow Here grant, concluded at midnight, August 31. Thanks to all of you, Stitchin' Mission won, receiving 2, 519 votes over a 16-day period. Your support has been overwhelming beyond words. My simple "thank you" does not begin to adequately express the depths of my appreciation for everyone who voted, and my thoughts about this experience. God is faithful to us, even when we don't expect it, or think we deserve it. Praise Him for what He has done.

All follow-up information about the Stitchin' Mission grant will be posted to this blog. Thank you all, from the bottom of my heart!

Help Stitchin' Mission

If you've participated in a Stitchin' Mission, or read this blog, you probably know that since January 2005, I have been teaching free beginner quiltmaking lessons, with the students' quilts being donated to missions around the world.

These lessons, called Stitchin' Mission (SM) began at my own church, Lutheran Church of Hope, and have continued in Des Moines, Iowa, area churches of nearly every denomination. Quilts made by the students are donated to the host church's mission of choice.

To date, 689 people have participated in free Stitchin' Mission beginner quiltmaking lessons, with 895 baby quilts going to missions throughout the world. (See the world map here.)

Individuals from other states and countries have contacted me about offering SM lessons in their church. Unfortunately, I am unable to offer lessons farther away than I'm able to travel for five weeks. It has been my prayer that God would grow SM. Well, a door has opened. An opportunity has come up to grow SM.

In the month of August, an organization called Dream Big, Grow Here is giving a $1,000 grant to the person or organization who captures the most on-line votes for their big dream. With such a grant, my dream is to make a video production (DVD) of the SM lessons, including the Bible readings, devotions and prayers, and make it available to churches, accompanied by a coordinator's guide, that wish to host a SM. SM could spread across the U.S. and the world.

To win the $1,000 grant, I need your help!

The winner is determined by which dream receives the most votes.

Beginning Monday, August 16 (at noon, US Central time), you can cast an on-line vote for SM. Votes are being collected until noon Tuesday, August 31.

You can vote every day!

The July dream/grant-winner won with 2,000 votes. Can you help SM surpass that number?

Beginning August 16 cast your vote by clicking on the badge below, or click the voting badge on the right side bar. One vote permitted per day, per computer network.

These badges take you directly to the SM "Dream Big Grow Here" site at http://tinyurl.com/vote4SM

Even better... grab the badge (right side bar) and post it on your own blog to get more people to vote for SM.

Remember to vote daily through August 31!

Thank you so much, friends, for helping me help Stitchin' Mission.

Linda

Stitchin' Mission in September

Stitchin' Mission® beginner quiltmaking lessons start Monday, September 27, 2010, 6:30 p.m., at Sheridan Park United Methodist Church, 4100 East Sheridan Ave., Des Moines. Choose from four 36” X 48” quilt patterns and in five free lessons, learn the fundamentals of quiltmaking. As much as possible, supplies are provided. Your cost may be $15 or less. Please consider donating the quilt you make to Broadlawns Family Birthing Center, Des Moines.

Stitchin’ Mission is interdenominational—everyone is welcome! For more information and to register CLICK HERE, or phone 515-263-1722.

Five Stitchin' Mission, beginner quiltmaking lessons are:

Monday, September 27, 6:30 p.m.

Monday, October 4, 6:30 p.m.

Monday, October 11, 6:30 p.m.

No class Monday, October 18

Monday, October 25, 6:30 p.m.

Monday, November 1, 6:30 p.m.

SM#21 Video

This video was made by Capitol City Baptist Church, Des Moines, Iowa, the site of the last Stitchin' Mission, number 21, in March/April, 2010. Nicely done!

SM #21 made 56 quilts that were given to the Alpha Women's Center in Ankeny, Iowa.

New Life Quilts Made in Australia

Since Stitchin' Mission #19 at St. Mark's Anglican Church in Darling Point (Sydney), Australia - that was two Stitchin' Missions ago! - new and experienced quilters have continued to meet regularly, making more quilts for an early learning care center specifically for children with autism. To reach their goal of 70 quilts, the group held a New Life Workshop to attempt to use up scraps generated during their Stitchin' Mission.

Here's Michaela.

And these are the three New Life Quilts she made.

Bright, kid-friendly colors.

Not a sleeper in the trio!

Didn't Michaela do a lovely job!? We're so proud of you! On behalf of the kids, thank you!